Eggs, Eggs, Eggs!

What a very exciting week at BRI – four Peregrine Falcon eggs and, for the first time in two years, an egg at the eagle nest. Thank you to all the BRI Peregrinecam watchers on the online community for documenting each egg. You captured some amazing pictures of peregrine behavior.

This image of a nest exchange was posted to the BRI online community by Thomas.

This peregrine pair is very consistent. Two years in a row the female has produced her first egg on March 18th followed by three more eggs approximately 48 hours apart. This year the first arrived about 9:00 am. The second egg was laid about 3:00 pm on March 20th. The third and fourth eggs arrived in the early morningof March 23rd and March 25th.

Before each egg was laid, the female displayed typical egg laying behavior. She appeared to be somewhat agitated, laying down, standing up and laying down again as if trying to get comfortable. Peregrines, like all birds, can control each of their feathers and you rarely see them looking ruffled. Just before laying each egg, though, the female seemed to be sitting on her legs with her feathers puffed up.

As BRI Peregrinecam watchers have observed, the peregrines do not begin incubating the eggs consistently until the penultimate or last egg is laid. Last year many cam watchers were concerned that the eggs were left uncovered for long periods of time. I checked the weather for this week in 2010 found that temperatures during that week ranged from highs over 50 degrees to lows of 40 degrees. Perhaps last year’s warm temperatures explain why the adults did not spend long periods incubating the eggs until the last one was laid. This year the adults seem to be doing a fine job of protecting the eggs from this year’s cool temperatures (highs have been in the 40s with lows in the teens). Interestingly, early on in development eggs are relatively cold hardy and can withstand periods of exposure depending on the outdoor temperature. Later in the season as the embryo develops hot temperatures can pose a problem for embryo survival. One possible benefit of this peregrine pair's scrape location is that is well-protected from mid-day sun.

Now the wait begins. The eggs should hatch the week of April 27 (approximately 34 days after the last egg was laid). Let’s hope for another successful season for these wonderful birds.

Thanks for joining in the conversation and enjoying the BRI Peregrinecam. To keep up with daily activities please visit us in our online community by clicking here.

Happy falcon watching,
Kate Rotroff
BRI Peregrinecam Ambassador

Getting Ready For the Season!

Excitement is growing among Peregrinecam watchers and those of us at BRI as our resident pair of falcons are making frequent visits to the nesting box each day. During their visits they are displaying typical courting behavior, bowing to each other with heads low and tails held high, and touching beaks. There also has been much nest preparation which entails one of the falcons lying on its breast and pushing gravel, dirt, and small stones out of the way with its legs, creating a bowl-shaped depression, also part of the courting behavior.

The activity in the nest box is only part of the courtship display. Peregrines have elaborate aerial rituals including high circling, diving toward one another as well as aerial “kissing” (touching beaks) and exchanges of food in flight.

Will all this activity lead to laying eggs soon? In the past two years they have done so during the third week of March. So the time is coming. Keep your fingers crossed!

For those of you who are new to the Peregrinecam, Peregrine Falcons have been using this man-made nest site since 2007. They do not build nests. They choose inaccessible areas, high on cliffs or on man made structures, frequently near water. These high, rocky areas are called eyries. The actual nesting area is often called the scrape, referring to the scraping of the gravel to create a nesting bowl.

Peregrines are generally monogamous. The male in this pair has had two mates. A new female appeared last year. This probably indicates that the previous mate died. This pair overwinters in the area, unlike many peregrines that migrate south. The nest is located in southern Maine. The exact location is not share in order to protect the birds. BRI works closely with Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in order to protect and study this pair.

Is there a way to tell the male and female apart? Not easily. Their markings are the same. There are only two features that differ in this pair - the male is banded and the female is heavier and longer than the male. Generally she is 15% to 20% longer and 40% to 50% heavier.

Question from the Peregrinecam community: Any word on the three fledgling from last year? This is one of those cases where it is likely good news that we have no news. There are only two scenarios that could confirm a sighting of the birds - if one was netted during migration or if one was found dead.

Enjoy the falcons,

Kate Rotroff

BRI Webcam Ambassador

Welcome back!

Hello Everyone,

Greetings and happy spring. I am very happy to report that the falcon pair on the BRI Peregrinecam is currently incubating four eggs! The first egg was laid on March 18th which was, quite amazingly, also the date of the first egg laid last year.

I would like to apologize for being behind schedule on the blog but I am happy to announce that we have a new 'webcam ambassador' to help with this blog. I am happy to introduce Kate Rotroff. Kate is a wildlife lover and a skilled educator. She is a volunteer at BRI and has now volunteered to help direct the blog posts for the BRI Peregrinecam. She and I will work together to provide accurate updates and information about this nesting pair of peregrine falcons and falcons in general.

Many thanks for enjoying our webcams and please keep in touch.

All the Best,
Patrick Keenan
Outreach Director
BioDiversity Research Institute

Falcons continue to visit! and bad news.

Hi All,
Bad news first: The Bird Banding Lab sent a note that one of the male falcon chicks banded on May 18th was found dead on June 3rd. Notably this coincides with comments by community members that a max of only three chicks were seen for a few days around that period. I will send any details when or if I get them. It is not uncommon. Birds do die and for falcons this post-fledging period of time is particularly difficult to survive through. I have read that survival estimates for falcon chicks through flegding to dispersal are typically very low, 15 to 40 percent.

Better news: Well, the falcons have been visiting the nest tray and have showed signs of pair bonding. While I am not sure exactly what this means it can only be good news for the pair and it is great for those of us who enjoy seeing falcons.

Many thanks for all the posts. FYI, I have responded to some questions regarign previous posts internally at those posts.

Until Next time,
Patrick Keenan
Outreach Coordinator
BioDiversity Research Institute

Falcons flying!

Hi All,
Well, as many of you may be aware the falcon chicks have taken the leap! Following about a week or so of increased activity and wing flapping the falcons have flown for the first time. They will still maintain a presence at the site as they practice flying--indeed the adults will continue to care for them bringing them food for them to eat in the nest or near to it. These chicks still have along way to go. This is a difficult time for chicks, the probability of surviving these next few months is not high (probably < 40%). They have to become strong fliers and hunters and begin to fend for themselves. Let's keep an eye on them and wish them luck.
Until next time,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Banding Day 2010! A riveting experience.

It is not everyday that one has the chance to band falcon chicks. Even for those who have banded 'many falcons' the opportunity is rarely passed up. Today a few lucky biologists and assistants banded the falcon chicks that are viewable on the BRI Peregrinecam...and what a successful morning it was! The chicks ranged from 21 to 24 days old. I awoke early with a jittery excitement because I was part of the banding team. I drank a cup of coffee, gathered the last few necessary items and set out to meet our falcon handlers Judy Camuso of Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Chris Martin of New Hampshire Audubon, along with a few guests who would assist and observe the banding process.

We gathered briefly to discuss the strategy for capturing the falcon chicks and processing them. The plan emerged quickly and once we were set up to band we made our approach to the nest. Support staff held a shovel and a broom high to protect the falcon chick 'handlers' from the dive-bombing adults. Actually, only the male was diving at us in the beginning. The female was set at the nest in fierce defense of her coveted chicks. After a moment or two, Chris encouraged her to leave and swiftly but carefully loaded the chicks into a large cat carrier. Yes, a cat carrier is the perfect size and shape to carry up to five falcon chicks. We then sought cover from the adult falcons in an enclosed room. There was no mistaking the screeches and screams of the adults outside. They wanted their chicks back.

Chris and Judy set to band and I recorded data and band numbers as each chick was processed. The processing went quickly and I think that it is safe to say that all on hand were impressed by how calm the falcon chicks seemed to be despite what would generally be considered a stress inducing situation. The falcon chicks did not appreciate being manhandled but when left to themselves simply sank comfortably into the 'relaxed-resting' pose that we've been watching on our Peregrinecam.

Each bird received a silver U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service band as well as a coded color band (shown below) that was applied using rivets and is unique for any given bird. We used leg size to determine the gender of each bird--even at 24 days old female falcons are larger than males. Today we banded three males and one female.

Judy measured the wing length and bill length of each bird, gave each a good look over for any injuries and then set each bird aside to rest until all were processed. At the end we had a short opportunity for photos before returning the falcons back to the nest tray. The photo below shows the banded falcon chicks. The female is the lower left bird-note that it appears to be the youngest with the fewest growing flight feathers but the largest feet and legs. The entire banding process required just under one hour and could not have gone much more smoothly!

Also, because many parties are involved in this project I want to extend a sincere thank you to the individuals and agencies involved including Judy Camuso (Maine IF&W) and Chris Martin (New Hampshire Audubon). In the photo below Judy and Chris smile with a falcon chick just before returning it to the nest.

Please be in touch if you have questions about these falcons, the banding process, or why we band. This blog post was admittedly rushed to get it to press, there may be more to discuss. We are always happy to share and educate. Enjoy the rest of the journey.

All the best,
Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute

Four chicks growing fast!

Hi All,

Many thanks for all your comments. I have been very busy these past weeks trying to keep up with our webcams and also making a number of presentations about our research. Notably last Friday I shared all of our webcams with students at the Dyer Elementary School in South Portland. It is always refreshing to learn that students are getting smarter all the time.

More to the point, these falcon chicks are growing fast and have experienced a very pleasant spring. After next week we should see them begin to become more active! They will move all over the nest box and platform and they will lounge in the sun on the "porch" looking like rocks. There is still a great deal to see as these birds continue to grow.

We've been able to post recorded footage to our youtube account. So if you want to relive some highlights please visit us on youtube you can subscribe to our channel and get updates when we post a new video.

Have you been able to identify any of the prey items that the falcons share with their young?

Many thanks for enjoying wildlife and sharing this experience with all of us. If you would like to support our work and mission please visit us at www.briloon.org and become a webcam member.

Have a wonderful day!

Patrick Keenan
BioDiversity Research Institute